Elevated Temperature Vapor Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract In the past decade the investigative technique known as photoelectron spectroscopy has undergone a rapid rise in use. Papers dealing with research work involving the method are now being published at a rate of over 400/year. The procedure involves the irradiation of a gaseous, liquid, or solid sample with monoenergetic photons to liberate photoelectrons. Then, an analysis of the electrons according to their kinetic energies is made. The results are usually presented as photoelectron spectra in the form of electron intensities plotted against their kinetic energies. Peaks in the spectral traces are usually reflections of the liberations of electrons from discrete energy levels of the substances involved, and ionization energies corresponding to these peaks may be readily obtained by subtracting their kinetic energies from the energy of the irradiating photons. The ionization energies so obtained can be related to the electronic energetics of the atoms o r molecules of the irradiated material in, terms of atomic or molecular orbital descriptions. Fine structural detail in the spectra are often meaningful in revealing other energy-loss processes such as vibrational and solid-state excitations.